Health Insurer Centene Is Sued Over Lack of Medical Coverage

A Centene building in St. Louis, Mo. The company has become a major insurer under the federal health care law. Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy

People who bought policies from Centene, a large for-profit health insurance company, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday claiming the company does not provide adequate access to doctors in 15 states.

“Members have difficulty finding — and in many cases cannot find — medical providers,” who will accept patients covered under policies sold by Centene, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington State.

“Centene misrepresents the number, location and existence of purported providers by listing physicians, medical groups and other providers — some of whom have specifically asked to be removed — as participants in their networks and by listing nurses and other non-physicians as primary care providers,” the lawsuit claims.

People signed up for insurance and “they suddenly discovered there were no doctors,” said Seth Lesser, a partner at the law firm of Klafter Olsen & Lesser who is representing some of the policyholders.

A spokeswoman for Centene said that the company had not seen the lawsuit. “We believe our networks are adequate and we work in partnership with our states to ensure our networks are adequate and our members have access to high-quality health care,” she said in an email.

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